“Caregivers are exhausted,” Putnam says. “They need help.” In her book she presents her humane training method that proves dogs can be specially trained to help them, as well as offer therapeutic benefits to the patient, the caregiver and the family. Why not give the caregivers the tools and knowledge they need to train their own dog?

“An Alzheimer’s dog lives at home with an Alzheimer’s patient, their caregiver(s) and other family members. This is an inside dog as opposed to those unfortunate canines that are regulated to spending their lives physically apart from their family units, residing outside of the home, receiving minimal human love and contact. The Alzheimer’s dog is trained to watch over the patient, especially at night, and alert the chief caregiver if the patient gets up. The dog is trained to identify an imminent ‘wandering’ situation, alert the caregiver by making physical contact with them, and lead the caregiver to the location of the patient and then go into a ‘sit-stay’ position in order to act as a distraction for the patient. The dog is a warm, fuzzy partner, helping the caregiver give the best possible care to the Alzheimer’s patient.”

Putnam knows firsthand the need for her knowledge, citing an epidemic of dementia in the United States. “Caregivers of dementia patients, trying to keep their loved ones at home, need help now.”

About the Author
Patti Putnam has her B.S. in sociology, with past employment as a psychiatric social worker and judicial probation officer. She has subsequent degrees in basic/advanced dog obedience training as well as specialized hearing dog training. She started a non-profit assistance dog provider program, was head trainer and executive director for 25 years and was personally involved in all facets of the program from selection, training, placement and follow through, of hearing, seizure and Alzheimer’s assistance dogs. Her program was seen in numerous news outlets, including Prime Time Live and Newsweek magazine, and won Delta Society’s 1991 Hearing Dog of the Year Award.

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